Princess Panthera
by Taylor Perez
Summary: An orphaned panther cub is taken into the custody of the Horde. They take care of her until a near fatal attack makes her question which side she should be on
1. Chapter 1

When you're a kid you think everyone is good because you don't know the distinction between the evil ones and the good ones. When you're a kid you explore the terrain hoping for adventure that you could one day tell your grandchildren. When you're a kid you trust people; even when they can break your heart.

Away from my home I sped into the forest following a brightly coloured moth with a broken wing. I pounced once or twice trying to bring it down with my little claws but finally it flew up to a tree and I could no longer recognise it. As I was about to climb the tree I heard something move around close to me and slowly I approached it. I sniffed the ground and an unfamiliar stench of oil and gasoline arose from the forest floor. Continually I followed the stench and found myself perched on the top of a tree branch looking at a spherical machine scanning the perimeter. My ears flickered up as it turned to scan me with it pink uv light and I raised a brow in confusion as I looked down its lenses.

"Catra, it's a spotted version of you!" An enthusiastic voice perched from inside the robot.

At an instant I was alerted and looked around for any form of life in the woods. I wondered to myself how the voice was communicating with me; in my previous experience robots were not talkers.

"You're scaring her." Another voice hissed. "It's a rare species, the Horde wiped out nearly every one."  
"If I'm correct this particular feline is from the panthera bloodline. Very rare indeed Catra." Another said. "What should we do?"  
"Try to talk to it!" The enthusiastic voice chimed.  
"Scorpia, no!" One hissed.

Her voice alerted me in such a manner that I jumped from the branch I was sitting on and began to run in the opposite direction. I wasn't sure where I was going but I knew that if I stayed danger would follow. As I ran I looked behind to see if the robot was gaining on me but then I felt myself hit against something solid. I rolled back and looked up at the ginormous creature who smiled back at me with its tail curled in a ball.

"Oh Catra, it's so cute! Can we keep him?" The big one asked.  
"No Scorpia, we've got a job to do." She hissed.  
"But-" The big one said.  
"Nope." She said.

They carried on arguing with one another for a while before they finally realised that I had fled the scene. I heard the large creatures footsteps in the background and sped up immediately but then she seemed to vanish. I stopped running and looked in that direction but nothing. There was a faint shrilling sound in the background and slowly I approached with much caution until finally I found myself looking dead in the eye of an illuminated net. I fell back and felt an electric course through my veins before most of my energy was removed from my system.

"Hello pretty kitty." A voice said.

My eyes focused on the figure sitting on top of me and it was like looking into a mirror; though this mirror was slightly broken. A feline dressed in orange with a head guard and unusual symbol in the shape of a badge on her hip. One of her hands rested against my cheek as I trembled.

"No need to be afraid little one, you're coming to your new home." She smiled. 


	2. Chapter 2

She hoisted the net over her shoulder and made her way from the whispering woods and into a large hover board. There I was transported into a small cage but I did my best to try and claw my way out; it only ended in tears. I heard the stomping of feet in the distance and I backed up against the cage as the large woman bent over to take a look at me.

"What should we name it Catra?" She asked excited.  
"You can name it after Lord Hordak decides what he wants to do with it but till then just make sure it doesn't escape." Catra hissed.  
"Ok." She said turning to me again. "Do you have a name?"

I opened my mouth to growl at her but instead a high pitched "meow" fell from my mouth. Immediately the large scorpion's eyes widened with excitement as she pulled the cage closer to her face.

"She's so cute, l love her!" Scorpia squealed.

Momentarily we arrived in a place called the fright zone where the two commanders brought me to a dark room surrounded by nothing but blackness. I began to whine but Catra quietened me down as a dark shadow shifted pass the room.

"Force Captains, what do I owe the pleasure?" The hoarse voice said.  
"Lord Hordak, we found something in the woods; the last of a generation, one from the line of the panthera." Catra explained.  
"We don't know what do with him, but I really really really want to keep him!" Scorpia said.  
"It's a girl, and yes last of a generation." The man said.

He pressed his bony finger against the middle of my forehead and pulled one of the many little hairs. He threw it into a portal made out of green goo and I watched as my many memories flashed back before my own eyes.

It had been a long time since I had seen some of those in my memories; my next door neighbour, my grandma Anne and my mother Theodora. My mother looked beautiful, golden with black patches running down her body and curled around her tail. My eyes fixed on her face as they watched my mother run around, chase me and stroke my fur as I got hurt. I remembered her blue and violet coloured eyes as she made sure I was ok from each stumble I took.

"I love you princess Parker." Her voice echoed.

Immediately the portal closed and Lord Hordak turned to me with a smile on his face. He crouched down and unlocked the cage waiting for me to get out. Slowly I did and I sat down looking up at him. He picked me up and held my upper body as he carried me to another room. There a woman sat on the floor breathing shakily as Hordak entered the room.

"Shadow Weaver, one last task for you. Erase her memory." Hordak demanded.  
"Princess Parker, I thought you burnt in that village with your mother." She hissed.  
"Meow." I said confused.  
"What happened to your speech? I used to remember your little comments during the queens speeches." She said.  
"Do it Shadow Weaver! We don't have time for this!" Hordak ordered.

I was handed with much struggle over to Shadow Weaver who held me in her arms tightly. I looked around to evade eye contact with the being but then I felt something pulling on my conscious. The memories began leaving me and soon I couldn't understand anything. I turned around to face everyone surrounding me and I didn't know who they were but the cat woman standing in the corner felt slightly familiar to me.

"Force Captain Catra and Scorpia, bring the little one to the bunks and you Catra, come back to me." He ordered.

I was handed over to the one named Catra and we were all dismissed. Whilst the two caught up behind me, I leapt from patch to patch until we finally reached a door. They opened the door and I sat on the ground unsure of what to do.

"Get in Parker." Scorpia said.

It smelled like old socks in there and I stepped back after taking a good whiff.

"Come on kid, I gotta go." Catra moaned.

I looked back at them both and slowly crept into the room. My ears lowered as I cautiously made my way over to the end bunk and curled up into a ball. After a while I couldn't handle sleeping in that cold room so I scratched at the door meowing. Finally it opened up only to reveal Scorpia dressed in her night gown and night cap. I tilted my head and let out a high pitched meow in order for her to fall at my cuteness.

"Awww, Parker, are you scared?" Scorpia asked.

She saw me tremble and lifted me up from the ground.

"Are you cold?" Scorpia asked. "Come here."

For a few seconds I felt warm against Scorpia and her large claws but then we both turned to see Catra marched down the hallway looking real mad.

"Catra, Parker's cold. Do we have an extra blanket?" Scorpia asked.  
"Give her to me, she doesn't look that sleepy anyway." Catra demanded.

Immediately Scorpia handed me over to Catra and I felt a warmth I had never encountered before. I closed my eyes as we walked down the long corridor into a brightly lit room.

"I didn't know you had a child Catra! What are the odds?" A familiar voice echoed.  
"She's not mine Entrapta! You saw her on your robot monitor." Catra hissed.  
"Ah yes, the last panthera. Did you and Scorpia give her a name yet?" Entrapta asked.  
"Parker is her name...that was the last of her memories anyway." Catra explained.  
"Princess Parker?" Entrapta suddenly said.

Now I wasn't too sure as to why she was referring to me as a 'princess' but as soon as she did, Catra covered my ears. I heard muffled speaking and became uninterested in the conversation so I released myself from Catra's arms and went exploring in the lab.

"Please be careful little Parker, you might scare Emily." Entrapta warned.

We came face to face. The robot and I looked into each other's eyes confused at one another. It scanned me and I bounced back with a squeal. I sprinted behind Catra and hissed at the bot.

"Kids are so...great." Catra hesitated.

I meowed at her and she pet me repeatedly until I stopped. The bot began crawling forwards and immediately I held onto her legs frightened.

"Entrapta, can you please?" Catra said.  
"Can I please what?" Entrapta asked with an enthusiastic smile.  
"Get rid of Emily." Catra hissed.

We watched as Emily was escorted into a separate area. Entrapta came over to us and placed me on a glowing table.

"What can you tell me?" Catra asked.  
"She's healthy, very healthy. According to my research, the panthera race usually unlock their powers at a young age and Parker is probably six years old. She should've already unlocked her powers but it's not showing." Entrapta explained.  
"What powers?" Catra questioned.  
"Camouflage, increased durability and stamina, night vision and max attacking power." Entrapta explained.  
"Can we test it?" Catra asked.  
"I think you should teach her English and maybe train her before we get into this." Entrapta said.

She rolled her eyes at Entrapta and took my hand as we walked down the hallway.

"Kid, you can speak now. You don't have to hide anymore." Catra whispered.

I looked up at her confused and we carried on walking till we reached the bunks. She lay on her bed and turned her head to face a chalk drawing that had several scratches on it. I jumped over and took a look at it.

"She was my best friend but she left me for those stupid princesses." Catra said.

As she told me the long history of her and this Adora, I settled onto the floor beside her and closed my eyes. She soon stopped noticing that I had fallen asleep and covered me up using her own blanket. 


	3. Chapter 3

Over the course of the next few months I was taught combat, taught how to speak English and finally became known to the battle we faced against the princesses. Catra would tell me every night before I went to sleep about She-Ra and the adventures they had together. It seemed to me that all Catra cared about was Adora and bringing her back to the Horde but I never really told her.

One morning I woke up before everyone else did and bolted from the bunks. I leapt through the hallway and left home for a while looking for someone to play with. A mouse suddenly scurried ahead of me and I chased after it but then it ran into the woods; a place Catra had forbidden me to go into. As I turned around, I heard a whisper utter my name and call me towards the woods. Intrigued I walked forward but suddenly felt someone grab onto my tail with their massive claws.

"Hold it Pink Panther, where do you think you're going?" Scorpia questioned.  
"I heard something." I replied. "Can you get off of my tail?"  
"Sorry." She said.

She opened up her claw and my tail moved back and forth slowly. We walked back to the Horde training facility only to find Catra and Entrapta wrapped in warm clothing. As I walked over, I looked up at Catra who touched my nose with one of her claws.

"Get ready Parker, we're going to the Northern Reach." Catra said.  
"Why?" I asked.  
"We're looking for some first ones tech, I've located some on my tracker." Entrapta chimed.  
"But Lord Hordak says I have to stay here where I'm safe." I said.  
"You're under my command and I say that my troops come with me." Catra said.  
"What about Lonnie and Kyle? Or the big green-" I began.  
"They're practically useless, especially Kyle, but you are special and my secret weapon." Catra whispered.  
"I'm a kid and powerless." I pouted.  
"Maybe this can be your opportunity to break out." Catra smiled.

During the ride over I curled up by Entrapta and had a quick nap as she stroked my fur. After a while I woke up and started playing with Entrapta's hair which whacked me onto the other side of the ship.

"Sorry Parker, I just really need to work, why don't you go scout the perimeter with Catra and Scorpia." Entrapta suggested.

I nodded and sprinted out of the room and onto the deck of the ship. I saw both Catra and Scorpia by the deck talking to one another and from a distance they looked like they were sharing a secret. I hid behind a container and listened to their conversation.

"Parker went to the woods? Are you kidding me?" Catra hissed.  
"She said she heard something, I never let her go in." Scorpia said panicked.  
"What if she did go in Scorpia? Hordak would have my head!" Catra suddenly burst out.  
"I'm sorry Catra, it's just hard being...a parent, in some aspects anyway." Scorpia said.  
"Well, you won't have to take care of Parker anymore seeing as you clearly can't handle it." Catra said walking away.

As she walked back inside, I slowly walked over and placed my paws on the bottom barrier separating us from the ice gorge.

"I'm sorry I ran away Scorpia, I was chasing a mouse and I heard someone call my name." I explained.  
"Hey, don't worry about it. It was a mistake and you're still a kid and learning but just don't do it again." Scorpia said comforting me.  
"I don't like it when Catra yells at you, you're supposed to be her friend." I commented.  
"I know right, I bet she never yelled at Adora that way." Scorpia muttered.  
"Maybe it's because of Adora she's mad." I suggested.  
"Maybe but Catra's always like that with me." Scorpia said. "For now I guess I'll just be waiting for her to return the favour."  
"You should spend more time together." I suggested.  
"Yeah we should." Scorpia agreed.

At an instant the big bug ran back inside to tell Catra her plan but I remained on the deck watching the ice. It looked smooth, shiny and soft but I had a feeling that it's appearance was deceiving. I stuck my head out from the barrier to take a closer look but then heard a warning signal coming from inside.

"Parker, stop that! You're gonna fall!" Catra shouted.

Suddenly I felt my back foot slip from the edge of the barrier as I slowly descended into the gorge that was beneath us. As I was about to plummet to my doom I felt a strong grip around my tail and froze mid air. Slowly I was hoisted up and finally taken back inside.

"First the woods and now you're trying to skydive off of the ship into a gorge? Do you have any idea how hard it is to take care of you and make sure that you're not constantly trying to kill yourself?" Catra shouted.  
"Catra I'm-" I stuttered.  
"Don't try and say sorry Parker! Sorry would have never brought you back to me! Sorry never brought me a childhood! Sorry never brought Adora ba-" She said.

She wiped the tears from her eyes and looked back at us all. I backed away as all eyes turned on me and ran into the supply closet where I remained for the rest of the day.

I crawled through under a blanket and found a space heater amongst some other things. I turned it on and curled up beside it whilst I listened to the voices outside.

"Where is she?" Catra demanded.  
"Still hiding in the supply closet, maybe I should go talk to her." Scorpia suggested.  
"I'll go." Catra said.

She opened the door and walked in trying to look for me.

"Parker, where are you?" Catra questioned. "Parker it's too cold to do this."

Suddenly an alarm went off and Catra pulled out her tracker pad to check out the danger.

"Guess you're finally gonna meet Adora Parker." She said with a giggle.

She left me alone in the supply closet for a long time. I didn't really hear anything but Entrapta making obnoxious noises on the telecom so I walked around looking for something to play with. I noticed a window in the top right corner and climbed the massive stack of weapons all the way to the top. I glanced out of the window and saw something in the distance that made me jump.

Scorpia held the mighty She ra in her arms and a powerful glow followed as she was transformed into the girl from Catra's stories. I saw Catra walk over with the giant sword and press the handle against Adora's chin as she whispered. They headed back in my direction and for a split second Catra caught a glance of me before entering the place. Quickly I descended down from the stack and snuck back to the space heater. I heard them enter and Catra mock Adora as she lay unconscious on the floor. After a few minutes the supply closet door opened up but I didn't recognise the footsteps. I pressed my ear against the blanket only to feel a nose poking into the sheet. Slowly I peeked out from the side and saw the blue eyed blonde looking emptily into the blanket. Her glance slowly turned to me as she squealed and grabbed me. She wrapped her arms around me and rolled around the floor with me pinned against her chest.

"Kitty!" She screamed.

Suddenly the door opened again but this time it was Scorpia who separated us both. Adora ran in the opposite direction and grabbed a mop as she attacked Scorpia with it.

"Give me my kitty!" Adora demanded.  
"She's not yours, she's mine and Catra's!" Scorpia yelled.  
"Catra? I remember her, she scratched me and it hurts!" Adora yelled.  
"She scratched you because you attacked her." Scorpia said.

She travelled over to where I was perched on a box and sat next to me. Gently Adora rubbed my ears which made my legs shake. Adora giggled and brought me back down from the box and held me in her arms like I was her pet. I listened to her heartbeat and pressed my cheek against her warm chest.

"I'm in heaven!" Adora whispered.

Frustrated Scorpia got up and picked Adora and I up. She tried to press the code to open the door but then she had forgotten the code so began jamming in random numbers. Adora stretched over and began typing in random numbers when Scorpia tossed her to the other side. Again Adora made her way and typed some more numbers, then was tossed again. The door bleeped and opened but to a snowstorm with eaten up technology. Adora walked forward swaying around and as she did, I saw something move around outside. Suddenly it came forward and opened up its mouth but then Scorpia dragged Adora away and brought her inside.

"How about we stay inside?" Scorpia asked.  
"Yay! Girls night in!" Adora said.

She fell into Scorpia's arms and slid down slowly.

"I can't believe I am stuck inside a closet with you. I should be by Catra's side, protecting her, why do you always have to get in our way?" Scorpia said frustrated.

The door opened once more to reveal a man dressed in a large winter coat and bright glasses. I bounced and hid behind Adora who pulled me up against her again.

"Adora, I am here to save you!" He announced.  
"More like I'm here to save you." Adora corrected. "Do you like my new cat?"  
"That doesn't make any sense, are you ok Adora?" He asked.  
"I don't know but she's not going anywhere." Scorpia said.  
"We'll see about that, en garde!" He said leaping forward.

As he pulled on one of Adora's arms, I jumped onto him and began ferociously biting his arm. Suddenly they stopped moving as Adora leaned in closer to both of them.

"You guys are my best friends." Adora cried.

She fell to the floor once again and the man grabbed Adora again but Scorpia was too fast and held onto Adora.

"Catra entrusted me to watch her, let go!" Scorpia yelled.  
"You let go!" He said.  
"I can't let her down! I'm trying to be her friend and if I let Adora go, there's no hope for that. I just can't seem to break down her walls." Scorpia broke. "It's like she doesn't even acknowledge my presence."  
"I know how you feel." The man sniffed.

Whilst the two of them spoke I leapt onto Adora and sat on her chest as she laughed to herself.

"What's your name?" Adora asked touching up my ears.  
"Parker. Catra told me all about you." I answered.  
"Catra's mean." Adora muttered.  
"Yeah, sometimes she is but she cares a lot for the people she loves." I said.  
"Does she love you? You look like her daughter." Adora said with a smile.  
"I don't know." I said. "She did rescue me from the woods."  
"I like the whispering woods, I almost died in there once." Adora muttered.  
"What?" I said.  
"I'm gonna take a nap now." Adora said.

As she fell asleep Scorpia and the pirate got up and grabbed us both. The door opened up to a large insect with glowing red eyes as well as two rebels fighting the creature. Scorpia sprinted over to Catra whilst one of the rebels tried to stand Adora up. In that second I forgot about all my training and just froze watching everything unfurl.

"Look Glimmer, that's my kitty cat! She's not mean like her!" Adora yelled pointing at me.

The brightly coloured Glimmer squinted her eyes as she tried to look at me.

"Princess Panthera?" Glimmer said.

I raised my brow at her and raced off to hide under the desk. I watched as Catra and Glimmer fought one another and the bug burst through the wall. Immediately Catra jumped off of Glimmer and ran towards me. She picked me up from underneath the desk and rushed towards Adora but then the giant bug burst through. It separated us both; Catra held its mouth open trying to tackle it and I was tossed out of the building completely.

"Parker!" Catra's voice echoed. 


End file.
